Washington Nationals: The team that shocked the world
By Tom Sileo
Not even the most optimistic Washington Nationals fan could have predicted the team’s stunning turnaround after a 19-31 start.
“Fire Davey Martinez.” I wrote those words about the Washington Nationals manager in April. I was wrong.
On October 9, Martinez’s 2019 Nationals completed one of the most epic turnarounds in MLB history with a shocking comeback victory to defeat the top-seeded, heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s the first time a D.C. baseball team has won a postseason series since five years before the Great Depression.
How did this happen? After being swept in New York on May 23, the Nats were 19-31 and ten games out of first place in their division. Washington is now the only NL East team left standing after the Atlanta Braves were eliminated by the St. Louis Cardinals, who the Nationals will face in their first-ever NLCS.
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It’s not a cliché to say the Nats accomplished the impossible through sheer determination. While facing the fire from misguided pundits like me, Martinez and Washington general manager Mike Rizzo repeatedly professed their belief that once the team was fully healthy, it would compete for a championship. They were right.
Martinez and Rizzo also found a way to overcome the league’s worst bullpen after the implosion of Trevor Rosenthal, who I was also wrong about. The team signed numerous journeyman relievers throughout the season before finally landing Daniel Hudson, among others, at the trade deadline. Without Hudson, who has been magnificent, the Nats would not be in the NLCS.
The Nationals would also not be four wins away from the World Series without Martinez’s risky, creative approach to the NL Wild Card Game against the Milwaukee Brewers and the NLDS against the Dodgers. The manager’s willingness to use ace starting pitchers Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin out of the bullpen throughout the playoffs is probably the biggest factor in Washington’s October success.
Juan Soto, who doesn’t turn 21 until October 25, has already delivered two of the biggest hits in franchise history. His game-tying home run off of Clayton Kershaw in Game 5 and his Wild Card-winning hit will always be remembered by Nationals fans. If he can stay healthy, Soto has the potential to be an all-time great.
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No matter what happens against a seasoned, tough Cardinals squad in the next round, the 2019 Nats will be long remembered for staging one of the unlikeliest turnarounds ever seen in baseball. Starting 19-31 should have been a death sentence. Instead of packing it in, the Washington Nationals will play for the pennant.